Approximately 90% of Americans use a drug on a daily basis. This drug is called caffeine. Most of the people who take any products containing caffeine do so to stay alert and increase their amount of energy. It has been tested for years and years, and unless it is abused by taking more than one gram per day, caffeine is a relatively safe product for the majority of the population. Caffeine does have some side effects that probably would affect bodybuilders before everyone else, both in positive and negative ways.

Limited Muscle Gains

For bodybuilders, this can go either way. Caffeine has been known to deliver a naturally thermogenic effect in the body. There is a problem with this, especially for bodybuilders training and competing at both professional and intermediate levels, which is that the thermogenic effect can also prevent muscle gains. This thermogenic effect keeps the body in a state of increased stimulation and can be very beneficial for making the abs more defined and the veins start to pop out. This also removes the extra calories, which is one of the primary components you need to build new muscle. Caffeine needs to be taken very sparingly if you are in a training period to put on and grow new muscle.

Burning Off the Fat

There is no question that caffeine is a great tool for burning fat. A lot of bodybuilders are using the ECA stack while training, which combines caffeine with ephedrine and aspirin for effective results. But even by itself, caffeine can be used as a powerful tool in order to achieve increased oxidation and a desired thermogenic effect. Using about 200 mg 2 times a day can help out with diet and cardio for burning body fat.

Increased Energy

It has never been debated that caffeine will lead to increased energy. A lot of people use the energy boost of caffeine for simple daily tasks like waking up in the morning or staying alert at their job. Professional bodybuilders on the other hand spend their workday engaging in and out of intense 1-2 hour training sessions, so they use the advantage of this extra energy to increase the results of their workouts.

Increased Mental Clarity

You might not think that bodybuilders would need this to be an advantage, but in fact mental well being is very important for a bodybuilder. The heavy demands placed on the body can borrow resources for recovery, resources normally reserved for mental processes. The training of bodybuilders who know what they're doing requires a huge amount of counting, measurement, and attention to detail. Caffeine offers huge benefits and advantages in every one of these areas.